At least eight children have been killed in the last 24 hours as Operation Protective Edge launched by Israeli forces entered its second day. The IDF claims it has hit at least 200 targets in Gaza since Tuesday.

By Wednesday evening, Israel's offensive had killed at least 53
people and injured over 450, while also striking scores of
targets, Ma’an news agency reported citing medical officials.

According to IDF, the airstrikes were necessary in order to
stifle rocket fire from Gaza. Israel indicated that a
'weeks-long' ground invasion could be rapidly approaching,
reported AP on Wednesday.

"Despite the fact it will be hard, complicated and costly, we
will have to take over Gaza temporarily, for a few weeks, to cut
off the strengthening of this terror army," Israeli
intelligence minister,Yuval Steinitz, told Israel Radio. "If
you ask my humble opinion, a significant operation like this is
approaching.'"

Israel has mobilized thousands of forces along the border ahead
of the possible ground operation.

Hamas’ Qassam Brigades launched three M-75 rockets towards
southern Israel's Dimona nuclear site on Wednesday, causing no
casualties or damages - one was intercepted and two fell in open
space, an army spokesman told Reuters.

According to General Moti Almoz's earlier comments on military
radio, at which point 160 targets had been hit, the initial
targets included 120 concealed rocket launchers, 10 Hamas command
and control centers, two homes and many tunnels.

“Israeli forces killed six children when a missile struck the
home of alleged Hamas activist Odeh Ahmad Mohammad Kaware in the
southern Gaza city of Khan Younis,” said a statement from
the organization. Overall, at least 28 children have been injured
in the offensive in the city of Khan Younis.

Also two Palestinian children died in strikes across Gaza: one
from Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, and the other from
Gaza City’s Al-Shujaiyah community.

“The death and injury to children caused by Israel’s military
offensive on Gaza demonstrates serious and extensive disregard of
fundamental principles of international law,” said Rifat
Kassis, executive director of DCI-Palestine. “Israeli forces
must not carry out indiscriminate airstrikes in densely populated
areas that fail to distinguish between military targets,
civilians and civilian objects.”

According to RT Paula Slier, who is in the area, several
teenagers were killed when the Israelis targeted a house
belonging to a Hamas militant. In a separate accident, civilians
were killed when the IDF stuck a car in which militants were
traveling.

Among the victims is an 80-year-old woman killed in the Moghraqa
area of central Gaza. A father and son were killed in the bombing
of a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza by IAF
aircraft, according to Palestinian media outlets.

In the meantime, Israeli officials note only two troops injured.

#Palestinian
news agency reports death of a father and son following the
last Israeli airstrike in #Gaza.